They’re Dying for a Job: New Web Series “Job Hunters” Launches Today

Update: The first episode is now online! Watch at this link or at the bottom of this post.

The brand new web series Job Hunterslaunches later today at 9am PDT (4pm GMT) and I had a chance to preview the very first episode. The premise of the series is simple: after graduation you have to fight to the death for a job in the arena to show your skills and employability in tandem with your ability to survive in the workplace (literally).

Before you start thinking this is a copycat version of The Hunger Games, there is an essential difference in that the job hunters only fight on a 9 to 5 basis and spend the rest of their time living together in safe houses with the very people they’re trying to kill. The prospective employees are not allowed to fight one another in these safe houses, meaning the quotidien dangers of being slashed to death are coupled with the immense struggles of dealing with really annoying housemates. This is truly a dark vision of the future! More than anything I was impressed by how effectively the first nine minute episode set the tone for the whole web series — this is a dystopia, yes, but one infused with wicked humour and unexpected familiarity when it comes to the living situation. One has to wonder whether the setup of The Mandatory Arena Education Worldwide Initiative (MAEWIN) is really that far from our own workplace culture.

Job Hunters is also excellent from a visual perspective, with a sharp HD tone and subtle details–such as a really cool glass videogame controller–that help position the series in a dystopic future without going overboard. This was presumably achieved by hard work from the series’ director Alexander JL Theoharis and Director of Photography David Zimmermann with help from visual effects team Cinesaurus, David Hudson and Steve Hudson. Above all, Job Hunters is the product of fantastic teamwork and collaboration from a promising group of Seattle creatives. Kristina Horner, of Parselmouths, ALL CAPS, FiveAwesomeGirls and italktosnakes fame, is one of the producers and writers behind the web series, which was also produced by Forest Gibson, Liz Leo and Tara Theoharis, all Seattle-based. Job Hunters premiered at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle last Sunday.

Have a look at the trailer for the web series below as well as the very first promotional picture and scroll down to watch the very first episode of Job Hunters or subscribe to their YouTube channel at this link. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in comments!